Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation.
Where are you from (country)?
United States
How did you find this forum (Google search – if so, what search terms? Via link from a forum or website – if so, what page? Other?)
Reddit
What is your current age, height, weight?
Age: 25 Height: 6’0 Weight: 182lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)?
finasteride
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)?
Topical 0.3% Finasteride & 6% Minoxidil Solution daily
What condition was being treated with the drug?
Male pattern baldness
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)?
3 months
Date when you started the drug?
June 2023
Date when you quit the drug?
September 2023
Age when you quit?
25
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)?
Cold turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects?
3 months
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation?
Check the boxes that apply. You can save your post first, then interactively check/uncheck the boxes by clicking on them. If your symptoms change, please update your list.
Sexual
[ ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[ ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[ ] Confusion
[x] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[ ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[ ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[ ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[ ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[ ] Weight Gain
[x] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[ ] Muscle Wastage
[ ] Muscle Weakness
[ ] Joint Pain
[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[x] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[ ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[ ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[x] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[ ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[ ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug?
supplements, exercise, levothyroxine
If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)?
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug.
As I was going through these symptoms, I began to record them in my notes app in a timeline format.
PFS Timeline:
June 2023
- I ordered the Hims finasteride and minoxidil spray and began using it daily
July 2023
- Continued using Hims spray
- Began experiencing light sensitivity and reduced night vision but hadn’t made the connection to finasteride use yet
August 2023
- Continued Hims spray use
- Light sensitivity
- Began noticing what I thought was just chest fat from gaining weight
September 2023
- Began to realize chest fat growth was actually abnormal gyno growth
- Quit finasteride immediately
- Still experiencing light sensitivity and reduced night vision
October 2023
- Gyno continues to grow
- Began experiencing light fatigue and tiredness
November 2023
- Gyno continues to grow and become more noticeable
- Worsening fatigue
December 2023
- Gyno has become quite noticeable through clothing and to others
- Extreme fatigue. Staying in bed most days when not at work
- Feeling extremely weak
January 2024
- Extreme fatigue worsens
- Unable to effectively play sports or do physically intense activities without being completely drained
- Hit with minor brain fog
February 2024
- Grade 1 or 2 gyno
- Extreme blurred vision
- Can’t see medium or long distances at all
- Pressure behind eyes
- Night vision severely reduced
- Eyes are constantly fatigued
- Dry eyes
- Eye burn
- Slowed image processing
- Severe brain fog
- Extreme fatigue
- Reduced spatial awareness
- Headaches
- Feeling extremely weak
- Seemed like body was taking longer to heal from physical injuries
March 2024
- Grade 1 or 2 gyno
- Extreme blurred vision
- Can’t see medium or long distances at all
- Night vision severely reduced
- Eyes are constantly fatigued
- Dry red eyes
- Eye burn
- Slowed image processing
- Difficulty concentrating on movement
- Severe brain fog
- Reduced spatial awareness
- Lightheadedness
- Difficulty focusing
- Less fatigue but still persists at a medium level
April 2024
- Grade 1 or 2 gyno
- Extreme blurred vision
- Can’t see medium or long distances at all
- Difficulty focusing
- Mental fatigue
- Mouth dryness
- Eye pain is back some days
- Red eyes are back some days
- Blurred vision is on and off
- Reduced eye fatigue
- Image processing improving
- Concentration on movement is improving
- General fatigue still persists
May 2024
- Grade 1 or 2 gyno
- Prescribed levothyroxine by doctor because of elevated TSH
- First half of month most symptoms were seeing good improvement but a minor crash occurred in the second half of May (Unrelated to levothyroxine, I hadn’t begun taking it yet)
- Minor heart palpitations for a few days
- General fatigue still persists and is worse in second half of May
- Brain fog is reduced but still is quite debilitating. During more severe periods of brain fog, blurred vision and concentration issues intensify
- Experienced eye fatigue, redness, and dryness for a week but has slowly went away
- Current main symptoms - brain fog, fatigue, and gyno